The Power of Goodbye Rituals: The Importance of Involving Children in the Bereavement Process

The Power of Goodbye Rituals: The Importance of Involving Children in the Bereavement Process

This presentation will focus on the importance of goodbyes and the surrounding rituals that families participate in during times of bereavement. The death of a loved one is a significant life event which often occurs within the healthcare environment. Child Life Specialists support children and families in various settings during critical stress points in their lives. In the hospital setting, Child Life Specialists provide procedural preparation, support, distraction, play, education, bereavement support, legacy activities, memory making, and help promote positive coping mechanisms. Additionally, Child Life Specialists provide emotional safety during distressing situations which aids in minimizing both short- and long-term effects associated with trauma. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Policy Statement (2021) highlights that “child life services are associated with improved quality, outcomes, and patient and family experiences as well as decreased costs in pediatric care.”

“An estimated 6.3 million children in the United States will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age eighteen” (Judi’s House and JAG Institute, 2024). The death of a loved one may impact the psychosocial and emotional development of a child and can lead to anxiety, depression, behavioral related problems, poor school performance, social withdrawal, and feelings of insecurity and vulnerability. Muriel et al. explain the “profound impact” a parent’s early death has on “children and the adults they become,” (Muriel et al., 2019).

Rituals provide personal connections between the bereaved child and dying family member. Incorporating legacy building and memory making into bereavement interventions may enhance a child’s ability to cope with death and loss. In addition, these activities provide the opportunity for children to take an active role in the process of saying goodbye to their loved one. Goodbye rituals, done with or apart from the dying loved one, help children recognize, grieve, and honor special relationships in their lives.

 

members only iconThis playback is available to active NACG members only.

Members must be logged into the member portal to access the playback. Not currently a member? Become a NACG member today! Your membership will provide access to free monthly webinars with CEs on current topics to support you in your work, discounts on educational events, access to all webinar playbacks, and more. To learn more and become a member to access this webinar for no additional cost, visit HERE →

 

Continuing Education (CE) credits are not available for webinar playbacks.
Target Audience: Counselors, Social workers, Bereavement support professionals
Instructional Level: Intermediate – This best describes a topic or issue that the audience likely has a theoretical foundation for understanding and/or a working knowledge.
Format: Live Interactive Webinar

 

 

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Summarize the necessity of providing goodbye opportunities for children and adolescents.
  • Restate the importance of respecting families’ unique values, spiritual beliefs, and traditions.
  • Identify 2-3 legacy building and memory methods.

 

Speaker Bio:

Olivia Buzminsky, holds a MS in Child Life, Administration, and Family Collaboration with Post-Baccalaureate Certificates in Family Professional Collaboration and Autism Studies from Towson University and a BA in Psychology from Mount Saint Mary College. She currently works as a Child Life Specialist at Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital in the pediatric emergency department and University of Maryland Medical Center in the pediatric emergency department, PICU, and proton radiation unit. Olivia is newly married, lives in Northern Baltimore with her husband and has a passion for animals especially dogs.

Cami Frickman received her BFA with a Certificate in Art Therapy from School of Visual Arts in New York. Cami is a Certified Child Life Specialist, Certified Grief Support Specialist and completed her Certification in Thanatology from Hood College. Over the past twenty-five years, Cami has worked in various hospital and school settings with children and families. She currently works as Child Life Specialist for Adult Services at Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital/Inova Fairfax Medical Campus supporting children of adult patients and teens hospitalized on adult units. Cami lives with her husband, 5 children, and one pup in the Northern Virginia suburbs.

Alicia Field received her BS in Family Child Development from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Alicia has close to 30 years as a Child Life Specialist. She began her career at Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC and transitioned to Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital/Inova Fairfax Medical Campus supporting children of adult patients, teens hospitalized on adult units. Her most prized award was from The EVAN Foundation, where she was honored for her dedication and service to children with cancer in 2020. She lives in Northern VA with her husband and 3 children and their lovable dog Cooper.

 

New York Life Foundation logo

Supported by the philanthropic investment
of the New York Life Foundation.

 

Continuing Education (CE) Provider Information →

Centering Intersectionality Within the Field of Childhood Bereavement

It is commonly believed that grief is different for everyone and that we should not compare one child’s grief to another’s. Why can grief differ so much from one child to another, even within the same family system? When a child experiences a death loss, adults in their system may attribute a child’s thoughts and behaviors to being a “grief response” and center the child’s grief as their primary motivating factor. This unintentional oversimplification of what the child may be experiencing can make grief the only lens by which adults see children who are grieving. It can potentially harm a child’s health and well-being if supportive adults only see a child as a “single story.” This presentation will use the concept of intersectionality introduced by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw to help adults who support children see them as the complex, socially constructed people they are.

members only iconThis playback is available to active NACG members only.

Members must be logged into the member portal to access the playback. Not currently a member? Become a NACG member today! Your membership will provide access to free monthly webinars with CEs on current topics to support you in your work, discounts on educational events, access to all webinar playbacks, and more. To learn more and become a member to access this webinar for no additional cost, visit HERE →

 

Continuing Education (CE) credits are not available for webinar playbacks.
Target Audience: Counselors, Social workers, Bereavement support professionals
Instructional Level: Basic – This best describes a topic or issue that the prospective audience is encountering for the first time in a meaningful way.
Format: Live Interactive Webinar

 

Objectives:

After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Explain Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality.
  • Identify areas of their practice where intersectionality can be incorporated into their work with children who are grieving.
  • Create an intake process that uses principles of intersectionality to help portray a more complete picture of a grieving child.

 

Speaker Bios:

Adam W. Carter, Ph.D., is a professional counselor and counselor educator who received his doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision, with an emphasis in multicultural counseling, from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Adam has taught courses in CACREP-accredited master’s level clinical mental health programs and doctoral-level courses in counselor education and supervision and served as the Trauma-Informed Counseling Graduate Certificate coordinator at Northern Illinois University. During his time at Northern Illinois University, he founded the Center for Grief and Loss at the University’s Community Counseling and Training Center, where he provided clinical supervision and education to counselors in training. Adam’s ongoing research and scholarship program focuses on early childhood grief responses and preparing counselors-in-training to work with grieving children. Adam’s scholarly work also includes numerous peer-reviewed presentations focusing on topics such as trauma-informed counseling, play therapy, and developing research skills in counseling practitioners. His clinical experience is broad, having worked as a counselor and supervisor in community mental health clinics, in-home intensive settings, community advocacy agencies, and private practice.

 

New York Life Foundation logo

Supported by the philanthropic investment
of the New York Life Foundation.